When it comes to what most people know about history, there is a chance that the majority of what they know was picked up whilst they were at school. Along with this, there can be what they have learned through watching films.

On the other hand, there are the people who have taken matters into their own hands and have continued to learn about the past. Perhaps they enjoyed learning about history when they were younger, or this may be something they got into in their latter years.
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It could be said that when one learns about history during their younger years, they don’t have a lot of choice. They have to go over what the education system wants them to go over and that’s the end of it.

This could have been a time where they were around people who talked to them about history, but even then one wouldn’t have had much choice in the matter. Through having this experience, it could have been something that put one off history.

Films

However, this may have been a time when one enjoyed finding out about the past through watching films. There wouldn’t have been the need for them put any effort in, they only had to sit back and relax.

As a result of this, learning would have been seen as something that is interesting as opposed to something that is boring. This can then set one up to look towards Hollywood when it comes to being informed about what has happened over the years.

One Outlook

However, it is often said that it is not possible to learn about the past through watching films as they rarely reflect what actually took place. For one thing, historians are often known for criticising films that cover historical events.

It is not uncommon for them to talk about how film companies want to create a certain impression and not to present what happened. And as these companies are there to make money, amongst other things, it could be said that this is to be expected.

One Reason

They realise that people generally don’t watch films to be educated; they watch them to be entertained. It is often their intention to leave their reality behind and to escape into another experience.

Based on this, there would be no reason for one to expect to be informed about history through watching films or TV series. This would be the same as one going to a fast food restaurant in order to be nourished.

The Best Approach

Therefore, the ideal would have been for one to pay attention to what they were being taught at school when they were younger. This would have allowed them to receive the right information in regards to the past.

And so if one wants to learn about history during their adult years, it will be important for them to take a course or to read books that have been written by people who have been trained in the mainstream education system. This will allow them to find out what really took place in the past.

An Agenda

Yet although this might sound like the right option to take when it comes to be informed about the past, it could be said that it is not this black and white. What this comes down to is that the education system also has an agenda.

And while it could be easy to say that the entertainment industry is only concerned about making money, this would also be a mistake. It could be said that this is something that is easier to find out indirectly than it is directly.

Hidden

How these two sources present the past is one side of the equation; the other is the effect it will generally have on people. Ultimately, the information they present is just a way for them to cause people to develop a certain outlook about the past.

So while it is important, it is not that important in the grand scheme of things. Still, it could be said that they have to present in such a way that it sounds believable; but if people are unaware of what took place, this is not going to matter.

The Present

It would be easy to say that it doesn’t matter how someone views the past; what matters is how they view the present. However, what this would overlook is that the way in which one the views the past effects how they view the present.

Thus, through defining how people view the past, they can define how they perceive the present and this means they can control their behaviour. What this shows is that this is simply another tool to control humanity with.

Division

It has long been known that dividing people is a great way to control them, and this is something that takes place through presenting the past in a certain way. On one hand, men are often presented as being one way and women as being another, and on the other hand, they generally portray each race as having behaved in a certain way in the past.

Due to this, it can be normal for men to look into what happened and to feel guilty and ashamed, and for women to do the same and to feel angry and oppressed. When it comes to each race, white people can end up feeling guilty and ashamed, and other races can end up feeling angry and oppressed. How they present each religion will also have an effect on how people behave.

Conclusion

What this emphasises is how much corruption there is in the world, and even though something is presented as the truth, it doesn’t mean that it is. What these people behind the scenes realise is that people often believe what they hear, and even more so when it comes from an authority figure.

In today’s world, there is no denying how important it is to think critically. If this doesn’t happen, one is not in control of themselves; they are being controlled by outside sources.

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